Skif
Early life Herald Skif grew up an orphan in the care of his uncle Londer Galko. Londer used Skif almost as a slave, forcing him to work in his deadbeat tavern, the Hollybush. Becoming a thief Eventually, Skif ran away from his uncle and found refuge with a gang of thieves led by former Tedrel mercenary Bazie. They welcomed him as a member of the family -- the only one Skif had known since the death of his mother. When Bazie and his boys were killed in an arson fire, Skif swore revenge and vowed to find the person responsible. During this search he crosses paths with an undercover Herald Alberich, who tells him he's in water too deep to swim. Chosen One hot summer, during his search, he noticed a white horse available for the taking. Thinking it would get him a handsome reward, he crept up to it and pounced. His Companion Cymry had known he wouldn't believe he was truly being Chosen, so she had tricked him into 'stealing' her. She rode off to a waystation outside Haven once he was in the saddle, and explained everything to him there. Herald trainee After being Chosen, Skif found a new family amongst the Heralds of Valdemar. He became Alberich's apprentice in matters of deception and espionage. Together they broke up a slavery ring. When Talia came to the Collegium, Skif quickly became her friend. For a time, they tried to be more then friends, attempting to be lovers. But due to their schedules, they settled for simply being close friends. Ironically, shortly after this, Alberich dropped the lessons that were keeping them apart from each other. Skif helped to reveal Hulda corrupting Elspeth to make the child unsuitable to be Chosen by a Companion. At the end of ''Arrows of the Queen'', Skif goes out with Dirk to begin his internship. Internship Skif serves his internship with Herald Dirk. Their sector was frequently pounded by fierce storms. During one of these, the trail gave way below Cymry and Skif, leaving them precariously balanced on a cliff face in pouring water. Though their was no sign of them from the trail, Dirk refused to stop looking until he found them and pulled them both to safety. This left Skif with an intense fear of storms for the rest of his internship. Herald Arrow's Flight begins when Skif returns from his internship. On the night Elspeth, newly Chosen, is announced the official heir, the Herald's have their own private celebration and Skif is there. Talia helps ease and Heal Skif's new fear of storms. When Elspeth began her journey to find a teacher in magic, Skif was deemed the only suitable companion for the journey. He and Elspeth were welcomed into the Hawkbrother's vale, k'Sheyna, and there he met his future life-mate, the cat-like daughter of Mornelithe Falconsbane, Nyara. Gifts His Gifts are not expressly enumerated. Though he does have just enough Mindspeech to speak with Cymry, it is not enough to talk with others. In Take a Thief, Kris says "It's a good thing you haven't shown up a Gift other than moderate Thoughtsensing". (page 275) Music *Philosophy *Laws (song) In the series *''Take a Thief'', Heralds of Valdemar prequels, volume 3 *''Arrows of the Queen'', Heralds of Valdemar series, volume 1 *''Arrow's Flight, Heralds of Valdemar series, volume 2 *[[Arrow's Fall|''Arrow's Fall]], Heralds of Valdemar series, volume *''Winds of Fate'', Mage Winds series, volume 1 *''Winds of Change'', Mage Winds series, volume *''Winds of Fury'', Mage Winds series, volume *''Storm Warning'', Mage Storms series, volume 1 *''Storm Rising'', Mage Storms series, volume *''Storm Breaking'', Mage Storms series, volume Skif Skif